Miami needs to win three straight games to advance to Super Regional

CORAL GABLES — So far this postseason, Miami's pitching has looked good enough to take the Hurricanes to the College World Series.

Miami's bats, however, have the Hurricanes one loss away from elimination.

In a Saturday-night battle of two undefeated pitchers, Texas Tech freshman Dylan Dusek out-dueled All-American Chris Diaz, as top-seeded Miami was only able to scatter four hits in eight innings against the Tech lefty, stranding 10 runners in 3-0 Red Raiders win, which advanced the second seed to the Coral Gables Regional final.

"We haven't faced a lefty quite like him a while," Miami coach Jim Morris said of Dusek. "He did a great job in keeping us off balance, and our guys had trouble with that."

And on the rare occasion that the Hurricanes were able to hit a ball hard off the Tech starter, the Raiders' elite defense cleaned up behind him.

Despite the stellar pitching performance, Miami had chances — the best coming when the Hurricanes twice brought the tying run to the plate against Tech closer Corey Taylor. But like in the eight innings prior, UM left the runners stranded, as neither Ricky Eusebio nor Dale Carey were able to bring them home.

Carey left seven runners on base in the contest.

"I had a lot of opportunities tonight and I just didn't get the job done," Carey said after the game.

Miami will play Bethune-Cookman Sunday at 2 p.m. in an elimination game, with the winner of that contest playing Tech in the night game of the double-elimination tournament.

Miami will need to win three-straight games — two against Tech — to advance to an NCAA super regional, which, thanks to Florida's two-and-out performance this weekend in Gainesville, would be played at Mark Light Field.

But such a feat would require offense. The Hurricanes have scored only one run in 18 innings and are yet to register an RBI in the regional.

"We have to swing the bat better," Morris said. "You can't expect to shut people out — and one run in two games won't win too many games."

Diaz, who picked up his first loss to go with his nine wins this season, struck out six, and only allowed one extra-base hit in 7.1 innings.

Tech took control of the game after back-to-back bunt singles in the second and a past ball set up Tim Proudfoot's RBI single. Another wild pitch brought home a second Tech run before Diaz was able to close the frame with a strikeout.

As Diaz labored through the Tech lineup — he needed a stellar pick by recently converted first baseman David Thompson to escape the fourth without allowing a run — Dusek matched his struggles. The Tech pitcher's control abandoned him in the fourth, but it looked like he would get out of the inning with a strikeout of Jacob Heyward, until the umpires errantly ruled catcher's interference on the play, loading the bases.

Carey was able to do nothing with the opportunity.

"I was just trying to do too much," Carey said. "I chased a pitch up and in, which I know better than to do."

Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock said that he discussed lifting Dusek after the eventful inning, but when the lefty was able to back into the windup in the fifth, he quieted that talk.

Both pitchers settled down in the middle frames, but with Diaz's pitch count crossing 100 and runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, Morris lifted his starter.

But Morris did not elect not to intentionally walk the next batter, Big 12 Player of the Year Eric Gutierrez, to set up a double-play. That decision backfired, as the first baseman smacked a Cooper Hammond pitch into left field for his 58th RBI of the season, extending Tech's lead to 3-0.

The Hurricanes will start lefty Bryan Radziewski Sunday afternoon. If the Hurricanes are to win the next three games to win the regional, it will be the first time Miami has done that since 1998.